Myanmar unrest: 121 Malaysian job scam victims rescued and returned home

121 Malaysians who were victims of job scams in Myanmar have been safely returned to Malaysia.

They were working in Laukking when there was unrest in the region due to a scam syndicate.

Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Datuk Mohamad Alamin stated that the 121 individuals were brought back to Malaysia through a flight from Kunming, China.

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Initially, 26 Malaysians were rescued by Myanmar authorities following reports of a civil war in Laukking. This prompted efforts to bring them back to Malaysia, leading to the identification of more Malaysians in the following weeks.

A total of 128 Malaysians were identified, and steps were taken to remove them from the conflict area. Efforts were made to secure their safety, including the sending of 10 diplomatic notes to the Myanmar government by the Embassy in Yangon, urging them to assist in bringing the citizens to safety. The Myanmar government cooperated with their requests.

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Collaboration with the Consulate General of Malaysia in Kunming, China was also essential, as it was the nearest area to cross the Myanmar border into China.

Ultimately, 121 Malaysians and an Indonesian national were successfully rescued. However, two Malaysians requested to be exempted from the rescue, one Malaysian was over 1,000km away from the meeting point, three others did not wait at the meeting point at the border, and the last Malaysian could not cross into China due to a criminal record and entry ban.